Republican Tim Fox confident in run for Attorney General again despite 2008 loss

Tim Fox

Republican candidate for state Attorney General Tim Fox knows what it’s like to run a statewide campaign. The Helena attorney ran for the exact same post in 2008, narrowly losing to current Attorney General, Democrat Steve Bullock.

Fox believes results will turn out differently this time around.

Fox says he’s working hard to win this primary election against challenger State Senator Jim Shockley.

“I know from my days as a competitive athlete for many many years that you don’t want to look beyond the race at hand,” Fox said.

Fox says he brings 25 years of law experience to bear in this candidacy.

He’s held jobs in both the private and public sectors in criminal law and constitutional law. He’s been appointed a special assistant Attorney General. Fox has also served as a division administrator at the Department of Environmental Quality.

He says that prepares him to run something as large as the Department of Justice.

“I’ve budgeted. I’ve hired and fired. I’ve set policy and carried out policy,” he said. “I’ve worked with the legislature I’ve helped draft laws and regulations. I’ve carried out and defended laws and regulations.”

Fox says he’s hearing from supporters around the state that people want an Attorney General who will stand up to the Federal Government when it oversteps its bounds.

“One example of that of course is the Affordable Healthcare Act, otherwise known as Obamacare,” Fox said. He criticizes current Attorney General Bullock for not signing onto a lawsuit signed by 26 other Attorney’s General challenging the Affordable Care Act.

“There will be circumstances in the future where the federal government will overreach once again and I think we need a change of philosophy in how the Attorney General Acts in those circumstances,” he said.

Fox supports Bullock’s stance defending Montana’s century-old Corrupt Practices Act. A lawsuit has been filed to throw out this prohibition on corporate campaign spending in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United Decision. The nation’s high court has put a hold on the law until they decide whether or not to take the case.

Fox says he would also vigorously defend Montana’s Law.

“If I’m fortunate enough to be elected and take office in January it’s possible that case would be pending and I’ll be happy to take over that effort because that’s one of the responsibilities of the Attorney General, is to defend the statutes of the state of Montana,” he said.

Fox once served as the state’s primary hard rock and coal mining attorney—making sure mining companies were adhering to environmental laws. He says that experience will help him protect the provision of the Montana Constitution ensuring a clean and healthful environment.

Unlike some Republican Candidates, Fox supports Montana’s 1972 Constitution.

“There’s no one part of Montana’s Constitution that’s more important than the other,” he said. “It stands as a whole, it’s a great document. the people of Montana should be proud of that document and as Montana’s next Attorney General I would do everything I can to make sure that the provisions of the Montana Constitution are not only defended but respected as well.”

Tim Fox says the political atmosphere was different in 2008, when he lost to Steve Bullock. He says he thinks 2012 will be a better year to be a Republican and his 2008 loss will help him pull through.

“It’s always good to have experienced a campaign, particularly a statewide campaign once before and hopefully we’re making sure we get the message out,” he said.

But again, one race at a time. He first has to get past next Tuesday’s Primary Election.

Republican Senatorial candidate Dennis Teske

Dennis Teske

Republican Senatorial candidate Dennis Teske says he barely recognizes America anymore.
As a young man, the 62-year-old first-generation farmer from Terry worked in Wyoming’s oil fields. He’s also owned a trucking business. He and his wife owned several Seattle-area convenience stores before moving back to Montana in 1996.
Teske says when he was a school-kid in the 50′s and 60′s, students were routinely taught about the Constitution and good government.
Now, he says the Patriot Act and National Defense Authorization Act which, in part, allows indefinite detention without trial of suspected terrorists, are clearly unconstitutional measures.
He also believes government is now simply too big and too powerful. Teske – a self-proclaimed lover of small government, describes the existing federal government as a “monster”.
In this evening’s feature interview with Edward O’Brien, Teske says if things continue as they’re going, the nation will go broke.

Sally Mauk talks with democratic U.S. House candidate Franke Wilmer

Franke Wilmer

Montana State University professor of international relations Franke Wilmer thinks her life experience as a single mom who had to work her way through college is a good credential for moving from the state legislature to the U.S. House. In this feature interview, the Bozeman democrat talks with News Director Sally Mauk about her pledge to “restore the American dream” if elected…

 

Former DOT Director Jim Lynch Looks to Increase Efficiency in Government as Governor

Photo Courtesy of Jim Lynch.

Former State Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch is working to set himself apart from the Schweitzer Administration he used to work under, as well as the other Republicans vying for the governor’s seat.

Lynch said operating the state more like a business can spur economic growth.

He said he plans to bring to Helena the same business-sense he used when coming to the Flathead in the 1980’s to take over an excavation, sand and gravel business.

Lynch said you can turn the economy around without looking for new resources or taxes but by creating efficiencies.

He said the state can operate more like a business by hiring people based on qualifications, not politics, and treating the residents like customers, “and when you do that, you’ll turn this state around, you’ll find tremendous economic opportunities in the state of Montana. Businesses will want to come here and develop, manufacturing facilities will want to start up, natural resources development in eastern Montana will take place,” Lynch said. “That’s how you create a business atmosphere, an open-for-business attitude, so to speak, in the state of Montana.”

Lynch said creating that atmosphere has to start at the top with the Governor. While many of the G-O-P candidates say Montana’s tax structure and environmental regulations have hindered development in the Baaken Oil Fields, Lynch said the state is competitive.    He said there are three differences between Montana and North Dakota when it comes to this development. The first is geography – where the oil is located, the infrastructure to handle the industry, and the attitude of regulators. Lynch said there’s nothing to be done about the first, but the governor can affect the other two factors.

“We make the investment in the infrastructure, we make the change in the attitude of state regulators, and we will develop natural resources in Eastern Montana in a way that is environmentally acceptable and will also complement the agricultural community that’s working with it side-by-side,” Lynch said these investments in infrastructure include roads, storm water systems, and social infrastructure like law enforcement and school systems.

Lynch said he can eliminate the business equipment tax which he calls a revenue grab. He also wants to move the cost of K-12 education off of property taxes, “that doesn’t mean we’re not going to fund K-12 education, and you can do that in a lot of areas, the immediate area to start working on is just efficiencies in state government,” Lynch said.

He gives as an example a plan he used at the Department of Transportation that looked at consolidating jobs and not filling positions as people retire. He said they were on track to reduce employees in the Department by 20%. He said that’s a reduction of about $40-million in one department just in wages and benefits.

“If you apply that same principle, and I know you can, and we will, across state government, we’re talking at over 2-hundred-million-dollars in just wages and benefits and pension contributions. That is significant money, and that’s the efficiencies you can create, and start creating right away. You don’t need legislation to do it, that’s all within the realms of a governor managing those executive branch agencies,” Lynch said.

Lynch said higher education as well as K-12 needs to be adequately funded, but he’d like to see some of the same business principles brought into higher education to increase efficiency and decrease costs. He said his experience in the private sector running a business plus his experience as Director of the Department of Transportation are advantages he has over the other G-O-P candidates.

Lynch worked under Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, until his abrupt resignation last August. “We had political differences. You know, I was decreasing employees; that’s not a Democrat thing to do. I was permitting high-wide loads through Western Montana; that’s not a Democrat thing to do,” Lynch said.

Lynch describes himself as pro-life and does not support gay marriage. He said he does not agree with the death penalty. However, he said as governor he would be bound to uphold Montana law, which allows for capital punishment.

Council submits oil pipeline safety report to Governor

A council charged with reviewing the safety of oil pipelines in Montana has submitted its draft-final report to the Governor.

Governor Brian Schweitzer established this review council following last summer’s silvertip oil spill in the Yellowstone River. The Directors of the Montana Departments of Natural Resources and Conservation, Transportation and Environmental Quality sit on the Council.

DEQ Director Opper says the Montana Oil Pipeline Safety Review Council compiled its reports after meetings with federal regulators, citizens and companies who develop technologies to better detect pipeline leaks.

The rupturing of the Exxon Silvertip pipeline spilled over 60 thousand gallons into the Yellowstone River last July. It was a big spill that made international news. Opper says it did result in some positives.

“Now, I say that knowing that there are people who suffered terribly because their property was inundated with oil but some good things came out of this,” Opper said.

He says the state ended up getting a lot of information from the federal government it didn’t have before—like exact details on Montana’s network of pipelines and which rivers they intersect.

“We at the state really didn’t know where these crossings were. We didn’t know how many of them there were. We didn’t know what products were being carried,” he said.

The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration did have this data. That agency also increased its inspections of pipelines in the state. Plus, Opper says after the Yellowstone spill, the public started noticing exposed and deteriorating pipes crossing streams. He says those problem crossings were identified and fixed before the start of our current runoff season.

“It’s hard to put a price on some of the problems that were averted because of this but I do know a lot of repair work has gone into some of the most difficult and problematic crossings and I think we’re a lot safer now than we would have been had this spill not occured,” he said.

As for the Yellowstone Spill, Opper says the bulk of that cleanup took place last Summer. There are parts of the spill that have been left. Opper says in these places cleaning the oil would do more harm than good.

“We’d have to rip out a willow grove to get a three-inch bathtub ring out for example,” Opper said. “Or we’d have to plow a new road for example, which would do a lot of damage or we’d spread weed infestations.”

In those spots, the oil has been left to weather away.

“Which it will do, it’s fairly benign, not a threat to wildlife, more of a nuisance now, the stuff we left behind,” Opper said.

Opper says the state does not have much regulatory authority regarding pipelines. The review council did not ask for more authority. Their final report recommends continuing to build the relationship with the federal government to keep the state’s new pipeline database up to date.

The report is out for public comment right now. The council will submit the final report to the Governor in mid-July.

Producer Jeff Collins on Nat Geo’s new Hutterite documentary

Producer Jeff Collins

 

The National Geographic Channel debuts a new, 10-episode documentary this evening that was taped at the King Hutterite Colony near Lewistown, Montana.
“American Colony: Meet the Hutterites”, provides a rare glimpse into the lives of the small colony.
In tonight’s feature interview with reporter Edward O’Brien, “American Colony” producer Jeff Collins explains why the families granted access to the filmmakers and the struggles and temptations they face on a daily basis.

Attorney General Steve Bullock confident in winning Democratic Primary for Montana Governor

Steve Bullock

Democratic candidate for Montana Governor current Attorney General Steve Bullock seems all but certain so sew up his party’s nomination on this upcoming June Primary Day.

Bullock leads all gubernatorial candidates from any party in fundraising. But he has spent very little of that cash.

His primary opponent, Heather Margolis, is seen by many to be a token primary challenger.

Bullock himself considers the campaign in full swing.

 

“We’re going full bore, I mean everybody’s workin’ real hard and keepin’ movin,” he said.

Bullock yard signs have been going up in Helena and other communities. The campaign has yet to release any Television ads yet.

He says his campaign had nothing to do with Heather Margolis’s last second gubernatorial bid, but during our interview he speaks as if he’s already won the Primary.

Meanwhile, candidates in the Republican primary are fighting hard for their party’s nomination.

Many are releasing their vision for the state, their jobs plans. Bullock really hasn’t.

“Yeah, and I don’t know I’ve seen a lot of overall plans out of the Republican side,” Bullock said, “not much of substance a lot of which is probably noise and at the end of the day I think Montana is at a crossroads and the decisions that we’re gonna make are going to define the kind of Montana we have. We’ll be focusing on jobs, doing more additional work for value added to make sure more of what we produce in Montana stays in Montana, looking at the overall economy. We’ve also been talking a lot about education and some of the things that are needed there.”
“If people are going to the polls and they vote for Steve Bullock, are they voting for a continuation of a Montana that looks very much like it did under Governor Schweitzer?” I asked.

“Well, I think in part. Look, there’s some good things going on in Montana and I want to continue pieces of that.”

He does believe there are areas for improvement. Bullock wants to work on education—investing more in early childhood education and our two year colleges. And he wants to look into how the state can better help small business and tech startups.

Republicans have attacked Bullock for some positions he’s taken on natural resource development.

They point to his vote on the state land board against leasing Eastern Montana’s Otter Creek coal tracts. Bullock says he has always supported selling Otter Creek Coal, but he thought Montana wasn’t asking for enough money.

“I’ve said from the start there’s a number of things we need to do when looking at resource development,” he said. “One, not giving our resources away. Two, make sure to follow and actually comply with environmental laws to make sure it’s done right and three on the backend of it to make sure that reclamation occurs.”

Conservative pundits also attack Bullock’s position on the Affordable Care Act. Bullock did not join a lawsuit filed by many other state Attorneys General against the national healthcare law.

“We’re in a good fiscal position and we didn’t get there by joining lawsuits where our involvement wouldn’t make any difference. So all I would have done by joining that lawsuit is cost taxpayers dollars,” I said.

He says the states need to wait for a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on the law. Bullock does believe the Affordable Care Act has positives, “but no one would say the affordable care act is perfect and I don’t think that would be the case from Democrats or Republicans.”

Bullock does not have a page on his website listing his stances on issues, like many candidates.

On social issues, Bullock is pro gun rights, pro-choice. He is in favor of the death penalty. His stance on gay marriage has angered some in his Democratic base.

“Do you support Gay Marriage?” I asked

“I mean, really the constitution until anybody even makes a proposal on that it’s a non-issue in Montana from that perspective. I do support legislative measures to try to change that, but the Constitution is what it is right now,” Bullock said. He does support outlawing discrimination toward same-sex couples.

Steve Bullock says there is still a long time left in this election. He says voters will learn a lot more about him and his goals for the state.

“The campaign goes on a long time and we’ll roll out a full jobs plan. Certainly not needing to do that now, I don’t think,” he said.

Perhaps not until after the primary.